Nedra Talley-Ross, a singer best known as a founding member of the all-women group The Ronettes, has passed away. She was 80 years old.
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The Ronettes announced the tragic news in a Facebook post over the weekend. “It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of Nedra Talley Ross’ passing,” the group wrote in a Facebook post. “She was a light to those who knew and loved her.”
“As a founding member of The Ronettes, along with her beloved cousins Ronnie and Estelle, Nedra’s voice, style, and spirit helped define a sound that would change music,” the post further read. “Her contribution to the group’s story and their defining influence will live forever.”
The post concluded with, “Rest peacefully, dear Nedra. Thanks for the magic.”
Details about her passing, including the cause, were not revealed. At the time of her passing, Talley-Ross was the last surviving member of the original Ronettes. Estelle Bennett passed away in 2009, while Ronnie Spector died in 2022.
The trio assembled the group, originally named “The Darling Sisters,” in 1959. They signed with Colpix Records in 1961. After moving to Phil Spector’s Philles Records in 1963, the band’s name was changed to The Ronettes.
The Ronettes had nearly a dozen songs on the Billboard Hot 100. Of those songs, six made the Top 40. Among the group’s songs are “Be My Baby,” “Baby, I Love You,” and “Walking in the Rain.”
However, by 1967, the trio decided to part ways. Nedra married Scott Ross, while Ronnie tied the knot with Spector. Estelle settled down with Joe Dong. In 2017, Ronnie released a song titled “Love Power” under the name Spector and The Ronettes. It was the first Ronettes single in decades.
Following her time with The Ronettes, Nedra became an interviewer for The 700 Club.
Nedra Once Opened Up About Her Time With The Ronettes
During an interview with CBN, Nedra opened up about her time as a member of The Ronettes.
“The Ronettes started when I was 14-years-old,” she explained. “We are all family — our mothers are sisters. We’ve always been together, always singing. It was a very family-oriented situation where Saturday nights were aunts, uncles, and cousins all at my Grandmother’s home. I came from a Baptist home. We went to church twice on Sunday.”
Following her grandmother’s death, the group pushed forward and became a local sensation.
“All these things were working, and so by the time I was 15, we had our first New York City hit,” she said. “When you’re a hit in New York City, that’s still pretty big, enough of a hit so that we were doing the sock hops and the amusement parks in New York.”
Nedra further shared, “By the time I was 17, and I was the youngest in the group, we had our first mega-hit with Phillies Record, for Phil Spector. So that took us to a whole other level, from being a New York City, East Coast girl group, to going across the United States, and then international. “
Noting what kept the trio grounded, Nedra said, “Thank God for our family. When we toured we were with either my Mother, or one of my Aunts. We had plenty of chaperones. So we were out there, but we were not out there.”
“We could have gone over the edge in so many ways,” she added. “And didn’t because we had family traveling with us.”